With Thor storming its way into theaters soon, this is a good time of year to get motivated and set out on your own journey for more muscle and strength. Like Thor, if your goal is to build a powerful, muscular body that actually looks like it came from Asgard and are tired of the “fitness” programs out there then read on for a good ole fashioned Thor-inspired, muscle-building training and eating plan.

To build a body worthy of a superhero, you must first possess a will to be dedicated, motivated and most of all, patient. Changes in muscle size, strength and fat loss do not come overnight, or with just a handful of intense workouts. It takes consistency, serious hard work and a commitment to a sound plan of training and eating to achieve an impressive, strong and well-muscled physique.

Below are principles Thor would use if he was training at your local gym. Do you think Thor would be talking at the smoothie bar or staring at his smartphone? Or would he have laser-like focus and an exuding will to conquer his goals and leave exhausted but determined to fight another day? The call is yours!

This training and diet plan will focus on basic muscle building principles that have stood the test of time. No tires, bands or jump ropes required.

Thor’s Rules of Building Muscle

Rule 1: Utilize mostly free weights including barbells and dumbbells. This may seem like an ancient practice but it is what builds muscle, period. Free weights force your body to not only lift independently of rails and levers but also stresses and strengthens ancillary muscle surrounding joints and supporting areas to build more muscle faster in less time.

Rule 2: Perform mostly compound movements. The compound nature (utilizing more than one joint) lets you use more muscle for each lift – in short, you will build muscle all over instead of isolating certain areas. Certain isolation exercises are, at times, necessary, but a focus on compound lifts is a must if more muscle is the goal. This not only will allow you to lift more weight on each lift, but also, as a result, will pack on more muscle mass.

Rule 3: Use both a moderate amount of sets and reps. Keeping your sets moderate will ensure longevity in your training – going too extreme in either too little or too many sets is a recipe for becoming frustrated with gains. Additionally, a moderate rep scheme will not only keep your joints in check but also will be heavy enough to elicit significant muscle gain.

Rule 4: Keep a close eye on rest between sets. This is often the most overlooked principle for most trainees. Too much talking or attention to your phone, TV or that hottie working out next to you will slow or more likely halt any progress – you’ll simply be spinning your wheels. Keep an eye on the clock to properly fatigue the targeted muscle group and to help you keep your all-important focus.

Rule 5: Regulate the duration of your program. Adhering to a program when you are seeing awesome gains in mass and strength is an asset to continued success, but too much for too long can invite burnout and put a quick stop to not only progress but also your drive and enthusiasm. Going all-out for more than six to nine weeks can spell disaster to your momentum. It’s wise to build in some down time of either lower intensity or days off for complete rest.

Now that we have stated our rules for building muscle, let’s get to the program that will pack on some serious beef the good ole fashioned way; an honest, hardworking bodybuilding plan with plenty of basic lifts and no fluff.

This program is divided into three phases. Each phase can either be two weeks in length (for a total of six weeks) or three weeks in length (for a total of nine weeks) – the choice is yours. After all three phases take a few days off form the gym completely or throttle down your intensity for a week.

Phase 1

Phase one is the break-in phase where you will be working each body part three times per week on a brutally basic mass building split full of compound moves, heavy weight and ample rest. Workout on nonconsecutive days such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This full body split is old school but very effective.

Phase 2

Phase two switches gears to a two day split training each body part twice per week. Train two days, one day off, two days on and two days off such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday with Wednesday and weekends off. Plus, you will up the volume and reps a bit.

Phase 3

Phase three takes things a bit further and increases the volume and reps but splits the body part training into three days. You can either train four days per week such as Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday or five days per week such as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. You will train each body part roughly three times in two weeks. Simply rotate each day of training and then continue into next week.

Build Muscle Like Thor Diet

A sound training plan isn’t enough to build a Thor-like physique. This transformation will take some steadfast adherence to a specialized, muscle-building diet. An ample amount of protein and a balance of carbohydrate and healthy fat will be on the menu for the duration of this program.

The importance of sticking to a healthy eating plan cannot be stressed enough when you want significant results. Muscle is broken down in the gym and built in the kitchen and while sleeping. Proper nutrition and rest are paramount.

This diet is split into training days and rest days. You will be consuming more calories on training days to support energy loss and recuperation. On rest days, not as many calories (specifically carbohydrates) are needed but protein and healthy fat will stay roughly the same. This plan is based on someone weighing approximately 180-200 pounds. Also, be sure to drink at least one gallon of water per day.

• Training day totals: Approximately 3200 calories, 200 grams of protein, 400 grams of carbs and 70 grams of fat.
• Rest day totals: Approximately 2700 calories, 180 grams of protein, 300 grams of carbs, 65 grams of fat.

Training Day Meal Plan

• Meal 1 – ¾ cup oatmeal combined with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter, cinnamon and sweeten with calorie-free sweetener, 3 whole eggs scrambled or 1 scoop of whey proteincombined with 1 cup of skim milk.
• Meal 2 – 1 cup of Greek yogurt, 2 oz. of mixed nuts.
• Meal 3 – 4-6 oz. of turkey or chicken, 2 slices of whole wheat bread or Ezekiel bread, 2 tbsp of low-fat mayo or mustard, tomato, lettuce and 2 slices of low fat cheese, 1 banana, apple or piece of fruit of choice.
• Meal 4 – (Pre workout) 1 apple1 scoop of whey protein combined with 1 cup of skim milk.
• Meal 5 – (Post workout) 16 oz. of Gatorade or PowerAde 1-2 scoops of whey protein combined with 1 cup of skim milk.
• Meal 6 – 6-8 oz. of lean beef, fish, chicken or turkey, 1 cup of mixed vegetables or any vegetable of your choice (green, leafy preferred), 1 medium sweet potato or 1 ½ cup of rice, cooked, Salad of choice with 2 tbsp of oil-based dressing.

Rest Day Meal Plan

• Meal 1 – ½ cup oatmeal combined with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter, cinnamon and sweeten with calorie-free sweetener, 3 whole eggs scrambled or 1 scoop of whey protein combined with water.
• Meal 2 – 1 cup of Greek yogurt, 2 oz. of mixed nuts.
• Meal 3 – 4-6 oz. of turkey or chicken, 2 slices of whole wheat bread or Ezekiel bread, 2 tbsp of low-fat mayo, lettuce and 2 slices of low fat cheese, 1 banana or apple.
• Meal 4 – 1 apple, 1 scoop of whey protein combined with 1 cup of skim milk.
• Meal 5 – 6-8 oz. of lean beef, fish, chicken or turkey, 1 cup of mixed vegetables or any vegetable of your choice, ½ medium sweet potato or ¾ cup of rice, cooked. Salad of choice with 2 tbsp of oil-based dressing.